Browse Books

Reviewer: Gregory Robert Guthrie

Intended for new UNIX users to familiarize them with UNIX system usage and operations, this book is a collection of eight articles by different authors, each independent but together covering most important UNIX topics. The articles are clearly written and useful as a first overview of the many topics involved in using and owning a UNIX system. The coverage includes general system usage (shells, files, tools, and text manipulation); programming (C, the linker, make, the debugger, and SCCS); X Windows programming and use; system internals; system administration; user environments (shells, editors, mail, and windows); network administration; and distributed computing. One major issue is the book's scope and level of coverage, as determined by its intended audience. I was hopeful when the preface stated that the book was for a specific group, but it then goes on to define that group as new users, experienced users, and in fact everyone using UNIX, and then to include everyone else as a potential user. This broad audience, and the broad coverage of the articles, forces the book to be very brief on all topics. Thus its value would be for someone who wants an overview of the UNIX landscape, rather than more complete coverage of specific topics. With this in mind, one major improvement would be to include better references and recommendations for further study throughout the book. Many of the articles include technical details that are too brief to be useful, and too specific to be of general value. For example, the article on network administration describes Bind, DNS, and NIS all in 12 pages; each of these subjects is the topic of several books. This is fine as long as the authors limit themselves to overview material, but in several cases they delve into specific details such as kernel-specific configuration files for ULTRIX, or C programs for X Windows, which cannot be adequately covered in such brief sections. The danger is in presenting commands to reconfigure the kernel without adequate supporting information or details. There are many introductory UNIX books available, and the choice among them should be made based on the desired level of technical content. This book mixes a technical style with broad coverage. It would be most useful as either an initial guide for new users of a small UNIX system, or as an overview for users who have learned by experimentation and would like a more comprehensive view of the system.